One of those Days
by Vanessa S. Quest
Summary: Canon Pairings (mostly the DeeRyo thing) When a day starts off down a road you know you don't want to go you know there's only so many ways to save it, but the real thing is, when the day really needs saving, can you do it?


One of those Days

by Vanessa S. Quest

'When all is said and done, we all want to pretend we made a mark in the mold made a difference, but its merely a strike in the sand and another wave is just waiting to push over it covering that mark once more, that's the one collective thought in my mind right now and I had thought today was going to be a good day.'

Ryo's view turned from corner to corner scanning the room, ever the professional, as he finished categorizing the next piece of evidence. As an officer of the law there are only three kinds of good days, when you save someone; when you stave off a crime or criminal by finally nailing the bastard; or most hapless yet good are the days when not one crime occurs. Of course those days just mean, nowadays, that you just haven't found it out yet. Today looked to be heading toward the stave-off direction.

If enough information can be gathered from this crime scene, the already nabbed nutcase grandmother who just killed drowned her darling two year old grandchild before mama and papa come home will be sent away for the rest of her life either to a home, ward, or ward of state depending on how good the DA is. This never brings them back, never makes it easier to make that call, or receive that call for that matter to inform someone that their beloved is dead. All that comes from these staves is the knowledge that granny here won't give another bath to someone else she babysat and that the 'rents can at least have closure by time the coffin slides into the ground. Poor baby girl.

Dee's eyes ran over Ryo and Ryo could feel a slight chill from being watched, he turned to face his dark haired, green eyed coworker when Dee turned to watch the little girl FINALLY get moved from the sink and into a miniature body bag. Who would think they even made body bags that size! It looks like a duffel bag. Scratch that, today can't be a good day, this little girl died and Ryo was there to clean up the mess. How awful… there was that familiar chill again. Ryo felt a hand grace his shoulder.

"Yo, Ryo, you've been hovering over that corner for a good portion of the hour, you've cleared it, come on… man move on."

This is where it happened. The little girl was just being changed, her parents hadn't even starting potty training, but you could see the reading material, it was coming up, she needed to be changed, everything was just laid out, but that's where the first sets of kawaii sun-colored hair was pulled out. Blond hair just like Bikky's…

That hand squeezed. "Nani!" Ryo clipped at Dee. He quickly killed the tension by softening his tone and restating the 'question' in English, "What is it? Did I miss something?"

"We're wrapping this up, the forensics guys cleared for us to tote our evidence back to their lab." Dee "tch'ed" for good measures muttering how these 'lab rats' still owed him scratch for beer money. Apparently Ryo missed out on ANOTHER guy's night.

It's not like he didn't know why, Dee thought of him as his woman no doubt, and the point of guys' night was to ditch the bitch, drink some brew, muss-and-fuss and have the Mrs.'s clean up the bad aim in the bathroom when their less-than-sober shining knights come back with that gleam (drunken gaze) fresh in their eyes. Pure bull shit. Ryo never consented to this, but it's the price to pay for transferring.

He was just happy he didn't get any of this rookie shit, all he lost here was some closeness with the guys that his partner had. Ryo sighed outwardly, you were supposed to be friends with your partner, go to their weddings, baby sit, go camping, get drunk, know you'd take a bullet and they'd do the same, not feel like you were just some piece of ass and little more.

"What was that Ryo?" Dee caught the sandy-haired man's dark eyes, Ryo knew it was finished, Dee was about to hound him about what was bothering him until he spilled. At least he had some dimensions to his haughtiness that Dee might be just impatient enough to not try to get to the bottom of. "Come on, let's get back, write some reports…" Dee noticed the twitching vein in Ryo's forehead grow and felt himself cake in a massive sweat drop, "What's with that look? I'm not going to ditch you with it. I'm offended you'd…" the vein still bulged so Dee sighed in surrender, he was just trying to make light of this all Ryo was taking this pretty hard, and rightly so, they weren't homicide division they were narcotics division, this shit wasn't their jobs damn it. "You, me, drinking tonight no questions, I'll buy, we can dump Bikky on Carol or some friend and just …relax Ryo! You're going to give yourself an aneurysm if you keep up. Damn it, we're leaving if I'm pulling and you're dragging." Ryo sighed and put the latest baggy with the collection, as is all 107 pieces of forensic evidence in this cut-and-dry case was going to give Fred a wonderful kick-off for his weekend.

True to his word, Dee started to half-drag Ryo 'til he managed to get enough footing to catch up with his pace. "Cut it out Dee! We're in public- a CRIME SCENE for Pete's sake!" Ryo finally got his hand free from the beast.

"For too long, I'd say, Ryo you look burnt. I know its tough working on this shit. We aren't homicide and the little girl didn't look like a coke head to me. The only drugs we'd find there would be ol' granny's anti-psychotics and the whole FINDING them part is what caused this problem… cuz the hag wasn't taking 'em."

Another sigh. "Beer or wine?"

Ryo blinked, "N…nanda o? Dee what are you talking about now?"

"I said we're drinking tonight so what do you want me to pick up?" He paused, "Forget it. After we go to dinner, my treat, you can decide and THEN we'll get plastered." Catching Ryo before he could actively grimace, and it was coming be assured, "We don't have work for tomorrow, aren't on call either and Bikky won't be home, let's get smashed."

Ryo put a hand over his eye, Dee HAD a point, however many Ryo had against it though… "Fine, but I'm not getting drunk and you are NOT getting plastered at my CLEAN apartment, remember last time you got drunk there?" A cold look made sure Dee recalled quite vividly.

"Heh… ha, yeah, my place sounds great too. Want me to grab some video games or movies or something?" He opened Ryo's door then slid over the roof (scratching the paint with the keys in his pocket) and, after some mild swearing storms, replied, "Oh, right… you read… how about a foreign flick? I'll go all out, come on, what do you say baby?"

"I'll say that you just went all out for that stunt for another fifty bucks for dinging the paint, unless you still have the right shade of nail polish?" Rolling his eyes with a laugh Ryo added, "I can't believe Janet showed you that trick… or how to match the color more importantly." He muttered how Janet would be the end of him or something or other about bad influences, all Dee cared was it wasn't some distant look of death and reminiscences in his partner's eye but instead laughter.

Back in the office Ryo was stunned about Dee's 'stellar' performance, as he was actually doing his paperwork and Ryo's. Ryo touched his forehead checking to see if a sneaking fever had made him delusional or if Dee really WAS going all out? Apparently Dee really was.

As Dee took up almost all the busy-work it seemed the day had gone back to the third option of a 'good day' where nothing else happens, the kind of day that as a representative of humanity you have to shake the hand of and yet as an overly bored police officer your fist… to take off some steam the best solution to this conundrum became clear- firing range. Ryo asked Dee if there was anything he wanted help with, if he should get out the letterhead for apologies… … … anything for him to do, at all. Dee quickly replied, "Oh no no no, no such need, though the apology paper may be… HEY! Are you making fun of me! You and that simian…" Dee let himself seethe for a moment before finally replying, "Nope, I have all the paperwork covered, there's not much more left, I should finish up within the hour and then we're done for the day."

Ryo paused for a moment, "Alright then, I'm heading down to the firing range." He opened his bottom desk drawer to pull out his firing kit.

"Cool, I'll come get you when I'm finished." He smirked and added on the side, "You look hot holding a long piece of steel." Ryo blushed and gave him a tempered glare. Dee waved him off, "and don't forget to call the Neanderthal to let him know he's not getting a free meal tonight."

Just imagining the battle between the two made Ryo's head pulse, hanging his face with a disgusted sigh about his 'family life' he went to get out that frustration and boredom, and a lot of bullets into a square piece of paper.

As Dee pounded away at the paper, victim age, information, crime scene and protocol, yadda yadda… Ryo put several slugs into the same little hole in the center of the measures targets, the four corners and center cross, the perpetrator vitals, and the perpetrator disabling blows, shoulder, shin, hand, yes he actually had a sheet man-sized with these areas sketched on, and rated for 'vitals' and 'non-vitals' that the sharp shooters could practice on, only for sharpshooters, mind you, as the other, lower standards, officers would bolster for their slop being 'any means necessary with least amount of harm possible' of course, everyone knew that just meant SOME-one was aiming for the chest and hit the knee by mistake. Before Ryo could know it Dee was down there, headphones and all, just watching Ryo work.

As Ryo finished up another sheet, pulling it in to look at his results he heard Dee whistle, "Wooo beauty, brains AND bitching shooting skills. I found a winner." Dee put his arm around Ryo casually, to which Ryo quickly scanned the room that had beforehand been empty, he turned beet red after the sheer white of mortification of being spotted fraternizing at work did to him faded.

"D…D…Dee! What are you doing!"

Dee moved forward to kiss while Ryo suggestively looked at his gun, pulling back to cock or discharge the final spent round, depending on how much one as paying attention to determine which. Dee decided that it was more the warning then otherwise, so he kept it at a slightly chaste kiss minus tongue. Suavely Dee pulled back in time to twist Ryo into a dip leaving his partner a bit further from throttling range then he'd appreciate. He then spun Ryo into a standing position and curled the car keys around his fingers as he whistled a doodle to himself. "So, what should we get, Italian? Mexican? Chinese? Thai…?"

Thinking for a moment Ryo held his chin. "Actually, I know it's out of the way, but we could go to Canal Street, there's this one place that is really good, it has a mix of Asian foods too. Mostly Chinese though."

"Sounds good, should we drive or subway?" Ryo shirked his shoulder.

"Traffic isn't killer quite yet, we could sneak in right before the office rush and out just at the edge of it, if we leave now that is."

Dee nodded. "Then a nice romantic drive it is."

"WHAT KIND OF DIVE IS THIS!"

Ryo merely pinched Dee and pulled him toward a table. "It's a nice dive that has an earthy atmosphere…"

"Homely you mean."

"…and they serve great Asian food plus the prices are reasonable even with gas money added in. Besides, we're nearby a great Italian marketplace which has very good wines, and unless you want to find somewhere else in Manhattan and chance the rush hour traffic… you'll just swallow your pride and take my word that you'll like it here."

"But… Ryo… I wanted to take you…"

"Where? Somewhere good to eat, your treat? Here we are."

"…I was going to say romantic." The dark stare Dee received told him else wise, "Oh look! A table for two, how romantic." He pulled Ryo to his seat, the few casual eyes from the other dine-ins faded into the back of their minds.

A young Korean girl handed the two menus. "What would you like to drink?"

Dee mouthed, "Gin and tonic. But I suppose a coke's the best I can get."

"How's Pepsi?" Dee smirked.

"Better than my expectations. Ryo, you?"

Ryo looked down and blushed before looking up at the girl, "Iced green tea please." The girl didn't jot it down but made her way to the counter, dinging a bell to get the drinks for the two.

She waited another minute before bringing over the drinks. "Re you two ready to order?"

Ryo nodded once as Dee began the date charm- listening skills 101, "I'll have the oo-nog-edon and the basil-leaf roasted frog… uh, number 12. My partner here will have a shark fin soup and number 18, we'd also like an order of shoe-my for an appetizer."

"Right, so shumai, unagidon, and a 05, 12, and 18 house special? Got it." She paused, "So, you want beef, shrink or PORK dumplings?"

Dee's lip snarled while Ryo quickly mentioned, "He'll have the beef." Glaring at Dee he muttered, "Pork is the most common one, she wasn't calling you a pig so calm down."

"Alright, fine, I'll let it slide, anyway, what movie do you want to see? There was that one foreign film you kept talking about French right? Run Lola Run?"

"That's German, Dee. Besides, I've seen it before, how about something more action?"

"Um, there was Red Violin? Or there's Tomi…"

"I was thinking more Hollywood, Dee. How about Arthur? Or is it King Arthur…" Ryo pondered, "Either way, I hear it's very well made and there's action so you'll like it too."

"Okay, fair enough." Several plates clanked onto the table notifying them food was served. The Korean girl disappeared with their glasses refilling them again and disappearing. "So, are you having fun?"

Ryo nodded, "Don't we always?"

Dee scratched his head laughing, "Well I try… what're you planning to do on your day off tomorrow?"

"Well, I'm going to take Bikky to Central Park tomorrow and if he's up to it, and doesn't put up too much of a fight, a few museums. After that I may do some window shopping, maybe real shopping if I see something I like. Why? Would you like to join us for the day?"

Dee smirked, "Sure, sounds like fun…" He shoveled a bite of rice into his mouth, catching some organs he didn't know got placed into these exotic sorts of foods. After a few chews Ryo gave him an expectant look. His mouth seemed to lower, grabbing some Pepsi he chugged down the liquid, wiped his hand across his mouth and slammed his glass down. "That was grrrrr-eat!" He proceeded to shovel more food down as Ryo tried (and failed) to suppress his highly entertained laughter.

Dee checked his watch, "Eh, Ryo, if we want to get to that market before traffic we should either finish up or get this to go."

"Hm? Oh has it really been that long?" He glanced at his watch, apparently it had been. Dee pushed down thirty dollars to the table, near throwing the change in his pocket to accompany it before standing to go outside and rush to the grocer and therefore the liquor (and possibly get some sweets, Ryo did know how to pick those regardless of how rare he'd let Dee indulge his own sweet tooth). Laughing to himself Ryo stood up with a bit more guile and followed his abnormal partner into the streets aiming towards the three block hike to gather the illustrious prize of a delicious, aged, bottle of wine or so.

Ryo had to remind himself that it wasn't a surprise that an area like this would be packed with tourists or visitors, or other non-NYCers, after all this was one of the 'sights to see' he supposed. A good portion of the people walking the streets were Italian-Americans visiting family still lingering in the shrinking little Italy, some were just getting the tour, and some were just looking for their own sights, as were the con-artists.

Ryo tapped shoulders with one such con-artist and whispered, "Put it back." The younger man's eyes grew, but he merely dropped the wallet and walked past slightly faster. Ryo leaned down to retrieve the wallet to hand it to the unsuspecting victim.

"Eh-hem, excuse me, you uh, dropped this." Ryo said as the wallet met the hand of the owner, a man around Ryo's age, about a year or so older. He wasn't an abnormally beautiful man, that is to say he didn't have features that on their own would set him apart from anyone else, he didn't have vividly colored eyes or beautiful hair to worship, but between his soft charcoal brown hair and hazel eyes, fair skin and lean but toned structure it was obvious that he was labeled a hotty. Conveniently by Dee, now standing behind (or was it leaning on) Ryo, gave him a wink.

"Better be careful around here, you might think people are just bumping into you for a casual feel, but some of them are also going for your stash."

The man blushed indignantly and Ryo turned to give Dee a look of 'what was that?' either way it successfully made Dee take his lean elsewhere and raise his hands defensively.

"Wah, Ryo I was kidding, babe, you know I only have eyes for you."

It was then Ryo who blushed then bopped him on the head. After a mushroom sigh of resignation he returned to his task of being the ever-vigilant police office. "I'd check to make sure everything is in there, but I don't think he had much time to lift anything." Dee merely rolled his eyes at Ryo's 'flirtation' slightly jealous that the attention was off of him and the prospect of drinking.

The man stuttered out, "Th…thank you. I… don't know what I'd have done if I lost this." He gave Ryo a flirtatious look back, "Let me buy you a drink for the save…"

Ryo scratched the back of his head, "Well, that's really not necessary, I'm just glad I was able to assist you and keep your visit to NYC a pleasant one."

"Non-sense. I insist, let me at least spring for one…"

Dee gave the brat a bit of a bitter look, "Sorry, but we have plans of our own." He said coolly, careful not to get Ryo too pissed off.

"I don't remember talking to YOU." The man gave Dee a dirty look that bordered on malicious. He took Ryo's hand in his, "Really, I insist…"

"I'm sorry, but I really can't." Ryo just kept on going, oblivious as always.

"Alright then, if not today maybe some other time, how about the next time we meet?"

Ryo then did look at him, "I doubt we'd run into each other again, we aren't exactly from around here…"

"Then it would be destiny telling you to. What'dya say?"

Ryo could feel Dee's seething form breathing steam on his back, "Uh well, maybe, if we meet again…" Ryo laughed it off, acting like an overdramatic reproduction of a buccaneer hero, flicking his wrist and bowing slightly then stepping quickly to the side to make a chivalrous exit. Dee shot the bastard ice through his eyes and fire through his nose. The man purposely bumped shoulders with him giving him a dark and cold sneer himself.

Dee turned on him, "What was that? Are you actually trying to…"

"DEE!" Ryo gave the man a glare for attempting a macho-man territorial fight over an invitation for a drink. Dee quickly turned back to Ryo. Again steaming under his collar Dee merely flipped up the corners of his shirt.

"Forget about it." He said in a near perfect God Father impersonation the other man just kept walking with his back facing the duo.

Once inside the grocer Ryo let out a sigh in frustration. Really, why was Dee acting so… possessive? It wasn't a complete surprise that Dee would act that way in a situation, per say, after all Commissioner Rose demonstrated this side of Dee near daily to him. But the man was merely asking to buy a gratitude drink, not a 'seduce me or just make out with me' drink, and even so? What if he had been? It wasn't like Ryo had been interested, he'd merely been being friendly, hell, statistically how could he bump into another gay person to save them at random? And even still THEN, it wasn't like he was Dee's… they were partners, nothing more… right? Well, not officially or to Ryo's consent.

So says the man going to his partner's apartment to drink just the two of them after a dinner for two. Ryo sighed again.

"That pushy jerk was totally hitting on you."

Ryo's eye twitched, "Oh how dare he, with you standing right there too!"

"Yeah!" Dee agreed.

"And not even a side glance to you."

"YEAH! Wait… what HEY! That's not what I meant Ryo…" Ryo shot him daggers then brushed his bangs out of his face and laughed softly, though the laughter was lost in the squint of his eyes. "Babe, you know I don't care about that, he'd have to be a fool to not notice how gorgeous you are… but an ass to invite you," Dee muttered under his breath, "and only you," back to his normal tone, "to a drink when you're with someone."

Ryo's hand graced a set of bottles and began to peruse the labels brushing past the conversation's awkwardness. "Not everyone is graced with social etiquette. His faux pas, now can we get back to our lives, besides he said he'd buy me one next time we meet, we're not from around here and he wasn't either, we're not just going to 'bump into each other' again so why stress over it? You'll make your beautiful dark hairs turn gray."

Elegant fingers ran through Dee's bangs as if proving the point while the other hand came forward holding a Chianti extended towards Dee. "So we have a winner?" Dee said, letting it roll off. Ryo nodded. A vibration against Ryo's hip made him again turn his attentions from Dee.

"Hold on, I should get this." Ryo said, Dee took the bottle to free Ryo's hand Ryo answered the phone. "Moshi-moshi."

"Yo, Randy, what the… mushy moosh to you too, what does that mean? Anyways, it's Ted, is Dee there? I tried to reach his cell but no one picked up… well, if he is, ask him if he wanted those pre-game seats to the subway games."

Ryo handed the phone to Dee, "It's for you." Dee took it.

"Thanks Ryo. Hey, what's up? Oh yeah? Really…? Sure thing Ted, heh, better make it two so I can take the ape." After hanging up he handed the phone back to Ryo.

"Didn't you have your phone with you?" Dee's eyes grew wide. "Want to double back and check the restaurant?" Dee nodded as he patted his pockets down haplessly.

Meanwhile, a red headed man turned to his friend, "Well, you pulled it off, but what I dunno."

"Simple, that oaf had the other guy's cell number. And home number. And work number. And pager AND second cell."

"So what? You have his phone number… big whoop, he's not going to just call you if you call him."

"Fuck calling, dude, in the year of the information age we have something called reverse look-up."

"And you think the 'oaf' isn't going to figure that out, or his friend?"

"Figure out what?"

"Well, obviously," the red head began, "that whoever had his phone is doing this?"

"Ah, but you see, no one HAD his phone." He winked, "He left it at that dive in Chinatown." He pointed to said dive as he stood outside, slipping the busboy a five to leave the phone where was, on the seat as he put it down. "But we should get going now, lest he might back-trace us here."

"Fair enough, I guess. I have to admit it's rare to see the quiet one go all proactive." The brunette shirked his shoulders.

"Well, we need a new transport, I want to have fun, and if he's no good, I can use him against his friends for some quick scratch OR keep him and let the others just think he flaked. You saw the guy, don't tell me he doesn't seem the type."

"I guess, well, you know you have our backing."

Dee came up to the counter, wine bottle quickly rung out as he then proceeded to follow Ryo, who pushed his pace to keep his partner appeased, back to the restaurant to retrieve his phone.

One of those… wonderful days.

TBC.


End file.
